English
clothier
Clothier comes from Middle English clother ‘a maker or seller of cloth’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *klaiþą.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*klaiþą‘cloth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klaiþreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clāþ‘cloth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cloth
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500clotheras clothere‘a maker or seller of cloth’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500clothyer
- Englishearliest quotation 2020clothier
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*klaiþą‘cloth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klaiþreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clāþ‘cloth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cloth
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500clotheras clothere‘a maker or seller of cloth’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500clothyer
- Englishearliest quotation 2020clothier
Earliest quotation: 2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light: “‘I think she should come out of black. Let…”
Formed from cloth + -ier
Proto-Germanic *klaiþą ‘garment’
Proto-West Germanic *klaiþ
Old English clāþ ‘cloth, clothes, covering, sail’
Middle English cloth
English cloth
Linked words
through Old English clāþ ‘cloth’
Today it means
noun A person who makes or sells cloth or clothing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *klaiþą / clothier